1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the preparation of quinone, and, more especially, to the electrolytic preparation of quinone from hydroquinone.
2. Description of the Prior Art
It is known to this art that quinones can be prepared by electrolysis of an aqueous solution of a corresponding hydroquinone. However, and this is especially the case as regards the electrolysis of an aqueous solution of hydroquinone, the yield of such reaction is very low because of the precipitation of a compound resulting from the addition of one molecule of hydroquinone to one molecule of quinone, such a compound being designated a quinhydrone.
Attempts have been made to reduce the risk of formation of this addition compound (quinhydrone) by conducting the reaction either in very dilute solutions, resulting in very low Faraday efficiency, or at high temperature, but in this case there is a risk of degradation of the final product quinone.